BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
Ethiopia is an agrarian country and 80% of the population lively hood is relied on the sector. The sector is rain fed and subsistence. Due to the low yield of the agriculture, the nation is still named as food insecure country. To enhance agriculture productivity, the government has been taken various measures and among others, expanding irrigation farm, mechanization of the sector and supplying modern inputs can be mentioned.
To that end, the Government established the Ministry of Irrigation and lowlands. Recently the Ministry evaluated its nine months plan accomplishment report. On the occasion, the Minister of Irrigation and Low lands, Engineer Aysha Mohamed said that, Ethiopia has abundant water resources but the nation still harnessed very small portion of the resource and to upgrade irrigation farm, the government is trying its level best. She further said that, to strengthen both medium and small size of irrigation farms, tractors and water pumps are being supplied to the regions and to resolve challenges the sector faces, rigorous efforts are undergoing and each year the size of irrigated farm is increasing.
On the occasion, reports were presented by regional Bureau heads. Bellow the Afar regional Bureau report is presented. Ahmed Mussa is the head of the regional Bureau. As to him, in past successive years the Afar regional government carried out various irrigation projects. However, as compared to the region water resource potential very little is exploited. As the result, the pastoral community remains in appalling poverty. To alleviate poverty and to utilize the resources, the regional government established the Irrigation and Dry Areas Bureau and currently, various irrigation projects are undergoing. The Herse Irrigation Project is the first one.
The project is located in Mille woreda Herse kebele and began in 2012 E.C. The irrigation project is expected to serve the community by providing potable water and running small scale irrigation farms. The second project is the Sidiha daba which is located in Chifra woreda and expected to provide water to the small and medium size irrigation farms. With regard to containing flood various works are carried out and among others maintaining canals which were broken by flood can be cited.
In addition, pre cautious measures were taken in the flood vulnerable areas. Moreover, enhancing the river Awash bank water containing capacity is carried out. Removing silt in the river basin up to 10 kilo meter is completed. Flood blocking corridor dike up to nine kilo meter is conducted. Removing silt and other materials which blocked water flow under the Awash River Bridge through using machine is also accomplished. Broadening the water canal of the Awash Negelta River through removing silt also carried out. To start new irrigation project, the clearance of vegetation cover, removing sedimentation, leveling farm lands and gathering server data is undergoing. In addition, In Awsh three and Mule kebele three broken canals are repaired.
In gereni areas, to address the shortage of water removing of silt in more than one kilo meter is completed. With regard to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, the Suneta irrigation project is expected to serve the objectives. This project is aimed to construct irrigation farm in 250 hectare land and started in 2013 E.C budget year. To accomplish the project in this year rigorous efforts is exerted and almost 68% of it is completed. However, due to the conflict broke out in the northern part of the country two years ago, the construction work has been delayed and the contractor demanded new price for the construction cost and dealt the matter with the regional officials and reached to consensus to pay the money in the coming new budget year.
Now after the end of the war things are changing and the construction work is undergoing with no constraints. The Belebel irrigation project is the other one. The project is located in zone two Koneba woreda and intends to cultivate 350 hectare land and the project study is completed in 2012. But due to the war broke out in the northern part of the country two years ago it was disrupted. But after the peace agreement reached between the government and TPLF forces efforts are undergoing to re start the project but the contractor demanded additional cost because of the delay of the project and the regional government pledged to cover the cost.
The other project is the Ayshit irrigation solar energy supply option. It is located in zone two Dalol woreda Ayshit kebele. The farm comprises 350 hectares land and when the solar energy production starts, it supplies energy as option to the farm to pump water. Currently the civil work is eyeing its completion and 80 percent of solar power panel supply is completed. The other project that must be mentioned is the construction of two ponds in zone six in Yangudi woreda. The objective of the construction of ponds is to supply water to cattle rearing communities.
In addition, it serves for supplying water to irrigation farms and 98% of the construction is completed. With regard to maintaining the existing irrigation study and research in three woredas such as Gereni, Badar and Yangudi woredas are conducted. And currently, agreement is reached to conduct study for the construction of dams with the Afar study and design organization. Now the study is nearing its completion.
With regard to new irrigation study works, the woama 500 hectares land can be mentioned here. It is located in zone one Chifra woreda and utilizes the Awash River water. The study work is expected to be completed in the coming year and start construction. With regard to medium size dam study, it will be conducted in three selected areas which suffer from shortage of water and 95% of the design work is completed.
Expanding the dry area wheat cultivation is undergoing and this year inputs and machinery supply, particularly tractors and combiners will be carried out. In addition in the last two years 12721 quint selected seeds were purchased and supplied to farmers. The irrigation farm can have the capacity to produce more than 340 thousand quint wheat. As to Ahmed, In the region 10 tractors with 130 horse power with plowing and processing equipment and five water pumps which have the capacity to supply 100 per second, purchased and supplied to farmers.
As mentioned above Ethiopia has abundant surface and underground water sources. However, due to shortage of well-trained human power, sufficient finance and technology the nation capacity to harness the resource is very low. Afar region has vast arable land that can be cultivated. It is also known by its extended live stoke. But the region is lag behind other regions in terms of development. Exploiting the Awash River water enables the region to cultivate vast areas and the recently wheat production proved how the region has a potential to make the nation food self-sufficient.
Yet the region is prone to drought and when extreme climate conditions occur, disastrous consequence will happen. As the result, crop failure witness and huge number of cattle will be lost. To overcome the problem, the ongoing water cultivation should be strengthening. The construction of dams serves both irrigation farm and supply water to the live stoke sector. The expansion of large scale farming in the low land parts of the country, not only make the country food self- sufficient but also enables to export agricultural products.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 2 JUNE 2023
